Our aquarists Austin Brayton and Brianne Dent have created a perfect window on cuttlefish hatchling development with a new display in the lower level of the West Wing (downstairs from the shark and ray touch tank). It started when Brianne began collecting eggs from the cuttlefish exhibit and incubating them behind the scenes. About a month ago, the eggs began to hatch! Austin then put some of these tiny cuttlefish in a small tank downstairs in the West Wing alongside their tentacled sea jelly neighbors. You’ll also find some grassy habitat laden with eggs. So now you can see the biddy cuttlefish while eggs incubate nearby!

Tiny common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis)

Even at this young age, the cuttlefish can change the color of their skin.

Cuttlefish eggs incubate near the hatchlings

Common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) live only about a year, so these little guys will grow up fast. Come observe the dark eggs and the cuttlefish babies while they’re tiny! But be sure to brush up on your cuttlefish knowledge with these handy blog posts: